


Lay Your Head Down

by Sharo



Category: Hermitcraft, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Bad Sleeping Habits, Exhaustion, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Joe Hills sings Joe Hills, Non-Permanent Character Death, Respawn, Xisuma gets a nap, all the Hermits are good bros, because i'm incapable of writing good angst, forced to sleep, the Joe Hills difference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:55:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25945456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharo/pseuds/Sharo
Summary: Xisuma's at it again with the noob death messages in chat.
Comments: 23
Kudos: 170





	Lay Your Head Down

<Xisuma starved to death>

He faceplanted in the sand of the spawn island, a stream of exhausted swears in his head. At least the helmet kept sand out of his face.

“X? I don't think that's the best place to nap. You're liable to get stepped on.”

If he ignored the voice, would they let him sleep in peace? For just a minute?

But someone was shaking him anyway, ignoring his groan of protest.

“Suma?”

“I’m up, ‘M awake.” He pushed himself up on his elbows, ignoring how his arms shook. Somebody was still talking, but it was just gibberish for a moment. He heard the splashing of a boat in water and then someone was turning him over and helping him sit up. “Fine, I’m fine.” he tried to convince them without opening his eyes.

Joe Hills wasn’t one to be dissuaded that easily. “Of course you are. Sit still for a minute, and then I’ll help collect your things.” The steady hand on his back was nice. “Where’d it happen?”

He sighed. “Base. Skeleton farm.” Good grief, he’d had all of his inventory on him. “Was working and farming for arrows, not paying attention.” Xisuma forced himself to his feet, moving towards the boat. He still had work to do, and wasn't going to get any of it done napping.

Joe beat him to the boat, giving him a hand into the rocking craft. “Give you a lift to the shopping district? You look like you could use a hand getting back to your stuff.”

He focused on the rocking of the boat, the quiet chatter, and the growing shoreline in front of them. Cheery grass lay underfoot along the coast now, recently planted by the faint smell of lingering mushrooms.

His feet found the path, leading directly to the portal beneath Town Hall and into the nether hub.

Joe caught his arm on the other side before he took more than a step towards the ledge. "Do you have a spare elytra, or are you good to climb up to the roof?"

Xisuma looked up at the twisted vine to the netherrack ceiling above the new hub. The thought of climbing and pulling himself up made him want to cry, but he was sure that he couldn't trust himself flying at the moment.

"Climb." he sighed. Joe nodded and went first, looking back to make sure he was following. He took a deep breath, and started up after him.

It wasn't really a long climb, but it felt like a hundred blocks. He focused on keeping a tight grip each time he lifted his feet, setting his weight fully before he reached for a new grip above his head. He didn’t pause on the teal wooden platform, grabbing onto the second twisted vine and starting again. Hand over hand, boots gripping into the tough vine, closing his eyes and just focusing on the pull of muscle and effort. Until he reached up and someone grabbed his wrist, lifting him up and onto the dry netherrack, hand under his elbow as he swayed.

"Thanks."

Joe offered him a half-stack of cooked beef, he took it without complaint even though he handed half of it back. There was food enough in his ender chest, he didn't need to take Joe's. The tunnel to his own hub wasn't pretty or decorated yet, but it was an easy walk to the next opening.

Joe reached it first, looking down to the freshly finished build. "Crying obsidian doesn't release enough tears to break a fall."

He shook his head, crossing the bridge to the nearby portal. "It's fine, Joe."

Dusk was falling when he stepped out on the jungle portal platform. The illuminated path brought a smile as he automatically turned and headed for the hidden skull.

"Suma? Did I lose you?"

He stopped at the base of the stairs, just barely catching sight of Joe on the other side of the hexagon portal. "This side, Joe."

He heard Joe's footsteps as he caught up, Xisuma leading the way to the mostly hidden entrance. He knew this path with his eyes closed, taking the right entrance and dropping down the magma chute around the blind corner.

Joe's hand on his shoulder made him open his eyes. He was still standing just outside the exit at the bottom.

"I'm not even going to ask when you slept last." He handed over a shulker box, already stocked with the dropped items. Joe pointed to a bed in the far corner, away from the skeleton drop point.

"Not that long." It was a half-hearted protest. It's not like he wasn't known for it anyway, especially since he usually made a point about not being _seen_ when he was working that hard.

But Joe was leading him over to the bed, sitting down beside him on the thin mattress. He pointed to the food still equipped in his hands. "Eat, X. Unless we need to start having an intervention for that as well?"

When did his hunger bar get half empty? A short trip through the nether shouldn't have depleted it like that.

"Probably all of the climbing. It's good to remember that your muscles need more food to work than elytra wings and rockets."

He nodded, tiredly bringing the steak up to his helmet access, not bothering to taste it. 

"Xisuma, is everything okay?"

It was nice, that Joe would ask and be entirely non-judgmental about whatever answer he could give.

"Jus' fine, new build. Mega build." he corrected himself. "Plus the tournament and nether hub." Jeez, he was overdoing it again, wasn't he.

Joe chuckled softly. "I think you're pushing yourself too hard again." The confirmation was soothing, a reminder that he didn't _need_ to finish everything at once. "Maybe take the evening off and refresh your body and mind?"

It was all too easy to let himself list to the side, Joe's arm coming up and wrapping around his back. "Tired."

"I imagine you are, if you're forgetting to eat." Joe was humming under his breath, something vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He wanted to laugh at the thought of a lullaby, but it barely came out as a sigh.

"Are you full, or do you need something else to eat?"

He shrugged with the shoulder not cushioned on his friend. Movement, movement was good, would get him going again. A deep breath and he rolled himself back to sitting upright, the arm behind him sliding away.

"You came all this way, let me make us some tea."

He waved off Joe's protest, already on his feet and heading to his ender chest, pulling out shulker boxes. A simple oven, his favorite teapot and a bucket of water, a little bit of coal and his stash of breakfast tea. The smell was heavenly, and the motions familiar and soothing. He could hear Joe still seated on the bed, humming and scratching along with a quill, probably writing new lyrics for a song. Moments like these felt too rare to pass up.

A measured handful of tea leaves went into the steaming water, nearly ready as the last coal began burning out.

"Sugar or milk in your tea, Joe?"

"No, thank you. Don't bother yourself on my account."

He turned for a moment to watch Joe. Sure enough, his head was bent to a well-loved journal, ink already staining his fingers as he made notations on paper, tilted forward to catch the minimal light in the room.

"Would you like a lantern for your writing? I have-"

Joe looked up with a pleased smile. "Nope, I'm done." His book was closed and stored away. "No need to change anything for me, I was just inspired by the moment. Why don't you bring the tea here, and we can sit and relax a bit."

He poured the perfectly steeped tea into glazed clay mugs, carrying them carefully back to the bed. "Sorry I don't have seating in here."

Joe propped the pillow against the wall, accepting a cup and patting the mattress beside him. "It's fine, 'Suma. Your build style is perfect in it's own way, pleasing in it's clean functionality." He sipped at the hot tea. "And most homely when shared with a comforting beverage."

He chuckled, sipping at his own drink, savoring it. "Thank you, Joe." There was time for a cup of tea, quiet words with a friend. And then more to do, resources to collect and-

"I can hear you thinking behind that helmet, you know." 

Joe pressed against his shoulder, not enough to jostle the tea. "Sit back, stay a while."

He looked down to his cup, careful not to spill as he followed Joe's instruction. "Don't let me keep you, if you have things to do."

"I am doing the only thing I need to right now." Joe's voice was soft, quiet like their surroundings. "I'm having tea with my friend, and silently convincing them to get some rest."

He blinked slowly, realizing his cup was already half empty already. "Is it working?"

“That depends on if I need to ruin your tea by dumping a potion into it.”

“Hmm.” He was sitting down again and still, sleep pulling at him, making his armour feel heavier the longer he stayed. He had to push, if there was a chance. “I still have one or two little things I should finish, check off the list before I call it a night.”

He heard the pop of a cork and closed his eyes, waiting for the splash.

But Joe hesitated.

“X?”

Please don’t ask, please don’t…

It could have been the way he tensed, or maybe Joe could read it on his face. He _knew_ that he needed to sleep. But there was always one more project, one more Hermit to help, one more thing to do, to fix, to grind.

Joe’s voice was softly stern. “At least take a regen potion before you go out again. You can wash it down with the rest of your tea.”

He accepted the potion without complaint, swigging it back as Joe stored another empty bottle. His tea had taken on a blue shimmer, but he finished that as well. The weakness wasn’t as bad mixed with regen, but it still made the room spin dizzily. His mug slipped from his fingers and he was sliding down, hands helping arrange him into a comfortable position. Joe was humming again, shushing him when he tried to speak, to thank him. The blanket was pulled up to his shoulders, warmed already from their body heat.

“Sleep, Xisuma. The work will be there tomorrow.”

A comforting hand held his, rubbing slowly across his wrist. The song started up again, slow and soothing and fading as the potions took hold and dragged him under.

"Let your mind flow downstream, sprawled out on a moonbeam. Lay your head down and dream."

<Xisuma went to bed. Sweet Dreams>

  
  


*****

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, the cereal song. Go listen to Sean Hills sings Joe Hills. Both albums are awesome.
> 
> Written after working 52 hours in four days. My tired is tired.


End file.
